hank
noun
a skein, as of thread or yarn.
hank
1 American
[hangk]
/ hæŋk /
noun
-
hanks
plural
-
a skein, as of thread or yarn.
-
a definite length of thread or yarn.
A hank of cotton yarn measures 840 yards.
-
a coil, knot, or loop.
a hank of hair.
-
Nautical. a ring, link, or shackle for securing the luff of a staysail or jib to its stay or the luff or head of a gaff sail to the mast or gaff.
verb (used with object)
Hank
2
American
[hangk]
/ hæŋk /
noun
hank
British
/ hæŋk /
noun
-
a loop, coil, or skein, as of rope, wool, or yarn
-
nautical a ringlike fitting that can be opened to admit a stay for attaching the luff of a sail
-
a unit of measurement of cloth, yarn, etc, such as a length of 840 yards (767 m) of cotton or 560 yards (512 m) of worsted yarn
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of hank
1175–1225; Middle English < Old Norse hǫnk hank, coil, skein, clasp; akin to hang
Vocabulary lists containing hank
"The Ravine," Vocabulary from the short story
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Novel Study: Harriet Tubman, Chapters 1–10
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
And then Ozzy grabbed a hank of his shoulder-length brown-and-pink hair and shouted:
From Washington Post ● Apr. 28, 2023
"We will continue our plans to celebrate the memory of hank Aaron during this season’s All-Star festivities," Manfredi said.
From Fox News ● Apr. 5, 2021
Sunshine twisted a hank of long blonde hair around her hand.
From Salon ● Mar. 2, 2019
The blacks and whites—the hank of Owen’s hair, the white of his sleek leather shoes—are crisp and clear while the other colors are leached if not downright absent.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2014
He had light brown dreadlocks tied in a bunch with a hank of yarn, and intense blue eyes that shone like high beams.
From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson
However, “traders know September is lousy” for the stock market, said Hank Smith, director and head of investment strategy at Haverford Trust, pointing to the seasonal weakness that tends to grip equities.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
Nonie packed Hank and Marjorie’s bags and dog.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
Alumni lounge in camping chairs around dozens of chatty college dads who look like Hank Schrader from Breaking Bad.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2026
It’s a strange request, but Aaron plays along until Hank asks about the word “diablo” tattooed by Aaron’s eyebrow, a piece of ink Aaron makes explicitly clear he does not want to discuss.
From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026
My mom and I exchange glances, and I can tell she’s thinking what I’m thinking: Hank seems so different.
From "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen
Either way, the onetime roommates and bandmates pioneered a discomfiting broken-doll aesthetic of smudged eyeliner, smeared lipstick and plastic barrettes clipped to hanks of bleached-out hair.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
Krymov is 67, with hanks of pale hair sweeping across a broad forehead.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 1, 2022
He hanks his team and allows himself one indulgence: “For those who don’t know me, now you do!”
From The Guardian ● Jul. 22, 2018
The paint seems to metamorphose into different things, including hanks of hair, statue-topped pedestals and piles of excrement.
From New York Times ● Mar. 25, 2011
“They were getting into the cornfield. They brought a good price — two hanks of wool for a new cape.”
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
